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Evangelicals try to have it both ways #Houston5

October 20, 2014

My stance is entirely with the Houston, Texas ministers wrongly called to submit the texts of sermons to local government. Those writings are constitutionally protected in the same way as lawyer-client communications or information disclosed to a journalist. The historical record, dating back long before the nation’s founding, is very clear as are standing court decisions.

Nonetheless, I am having some problems with my argument, and the position of some conservative Christians. It is more than vexatious to sort our the case for a “wall of separation” between church and state. One of the major Christian groups is taking this position and there is a terrible gaping hole in the theory.

Evangelical Christians do not believe in a wall of separation between church and state. When they are calling the shots, the two operate in tandem and Christians have the upper hand. Stinking liberals and other social misfits can burn in the nether world. But now that the lesbians have taken over Houston city government, the Christian establishment rushes to build the very same wall they claim does not protect everybody else. Let me add that there have also been some folks touring the country promoting legislation that would allow government to interfere in the running of Islamic places of worship. Let us pray to the Good God in Heaven that none of those Houston lesbians decide to use Evangelical standards against the local clergy.

The American doctrine on religious liberty is mostly contained in two clauses of the First Amendment; the establishment clause and the provision for free exercise. The Houston ministers are protected from state meddling by the latter item. Christians of various types, Jews, Muslims, witches, pagans, and every other stripe of religious practitioner are kept safe by the former. Christians are under a divine command to make disciples of all nations and you can not very easily do that if Big Brother defines the nature of discipleship.

The Houston Five deserve our support, and we must all learn to think and speak more clearly when our rights are at stake.